Materials handling pallet



Jan. 17, G s GR|MES MATERIALS HANDLING PALLET Filed June 25, 1965 INVENTOR.

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3,298,327 Patented Jan. 17, 1967 3,298,327 MATERIALS HANDLING PALLETGeorge S. Grimes, 1901 Tidewater Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99501 FiledJune 25, 1965, Ser. No. 467,007 3 Claims. (Cl. 108-57) This inventionrelates to a pallet for hoisting devices which is usable in reversedpositions.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a generallysuperior device of the kind indicated which, because of itsreversibility, is capable of a longer useful life, the device being oflightweight, cored construction and preferably made of plastic or otherlightweight noncorrosive material, in the interests of resistance todeterioration in hostile climates and reduction in burden upon hoistingdevices.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of thecharacter indicated above, wherein the burden-bearing surfaces of thedevice are rendered non-slip and resistant to Wear, by the formationthereon of antiskid projections, with which the loads imposed upon thedevice are mainly in contact.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of thecharacter indicated above, wherein the bodies thereof, at the ends andintermediate parts thereof, are provided with vertical bores extendingtherethrough, in which posts of load-confiining end panels are adaptedto be removably engaged in reversed positions of the device, so as toform containers on the pallet, and wherein the ends of the body of thedevice are formed with vertically-centered ribs which are formed withopenlugs to receive the hooks of hoisting devices, the said ribs alsobeing serviceable as contact areas for fork-lift hoisting devices.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an expoded perspective view of a device of the invention,and an end panel thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

I FIGURE 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 4-4 ofFIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view on a reduced scale, showing panelsapplied to the pallet to form a container.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the illustrated dev ce compnses asolid flat, generally rectangular, longitudinally-elongated body 10,preferably of monolithic form, and preferably of plastic material, suchas Fiberglas, having some limited flexibility and compressibility 1n theinterest of some conformance, under load stresses, to the loads carriedthereby, and in the interest of reduction of contacts destructive toitself and/or to adjacent objects.

The body has flat, parallel opposed load surfaces 12 which constitutethe related boundaries of the body, inwhich are embedded below thesurfaces thereof, reinforcing metallic components, such as steel grids16, the latter being extended along the surfaces 12. The surfaces 12 areformed with spaced upstanding non-skid projections 14 which act toprevent slippage of loads thereon.

The body 10 is cored in the interest of reduction of over-all weight ofthe device, and in the interest of giving the device limited flexibilityand compressibility. In the illustrated device, this coring is producedby forming the body 10 with similar, equally, longitudinally-spaced,transverse oblong bores 18 extending therethrough, Whose flat sides 20are parallel to and equally-spaced from and close to the relatedsurfaces 12 of the body 10. The bores 18 have their greatest widths ofcross-section disposed longitudinally of the body 10.

The body 10 has oppositely-beveled or reduced end portions 22 whichmerge into ribs or flanges 24 which are disposed on the centrallongitudinal plane of the body, and have flat, parallel opposed surfaces26. The grids 16 are extended into the ribs or flanges and around theirends, as indicated at 28 and 30 respectively, so as to serve asreinforcements. The ribs or flanges 24 are formed, at their ends, withopenings 32 adapted to receive the hooks (not shown) of lifting devices.The opposed surfaces of the ribs or flanges also can serve as bearingsurfaces for the lifting members of fork-lift devices, or the like.

The body 10 is formed therethrough, at equally-spaced intervals alongthe side edges of the body, and at equallyspaced intervals between theadjacent bores 18 and between end bores 18 and the ends of the body, inrows across the body, with polygonal cross-sectional perpendicular bores34, which are adapted to removably receive the lower end portions 36 ofvertical, polygonal posts 38 of end panels 40 which are designed toretain loads on the device, and for this purpose to be selectivelypositioned along and across the body 10 so as to define a container C.The panels 40 comprise transversely-elongated vertical plates 42, towhose outer sides the upper parts of the posts 38 are suitably fixed.The lower edges 44 of the plates 42 are adapted to bear upon the thenupper surface of the body 10, as indicated in FIG- URE 4.

While the reinforcing components of the illustrated device are stated asbeing steel grids, it will be evident that components of suitableresilient material other than steel are contemplated, and that thesemight include cables, and the like.

What is claimed is:

1. A materials handling pallet comprising an elongated solid body havingspaced side edges and an end edge extending between and connecting eachof the complemental ends of said side edges together, said body havingupper and lower faces which are flat and extending over the entire areadefined by the side and end edges, there being a pluarlity oftransversely-disposed bores arranged between and parallel to said endedges and opening out of said side edges, a rib extending along andprojecting from each end edge, a grid embedded in said body andextending beneath and along and about said faces and said ribs, saidribs being formed with openings adapted to receive hooks of liftingdevices, said body being provided with a plurality oftransversely-disposed rows of polygonal holes positioned between andparallel to said ribs adapted to removably-receive the lower endportions of polygonal posts of end panels to thereby form enclosuresbetween the end panels when mounted in said holes.

2. The materials handling pallet according to claim 1, wherein each endedge is beveled and wherein the adjacent rib is of reducedcross-section, the ribs each projecting from the beveled end edge.

3. The materials handling pallet according to claim 2 which includes inaddition non-skid projections which project exteriorly from each ofsaidupper and lower faces.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,705,120 3/1955Owen 10853 X 2,775,360 12/1956 Phillips 10855 X FRANK B.

Skubic 10853 Romero 10851 Doane 10856 Nolan 108-5 8 X Hess 10858Anderson et al. 10856 SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

G. O. FINCH, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MATERIALS HANDLING PALLET COMPRISING AN ELONGATED SOLID BODY HAVINGSPACED SIDE EDGES AND AN END EDGE EXTENDING BETWEEN AND CONNECTING EACHOF THE COMPLEMENTAL ENDS OF SAID SIDE EDGES TOGETHER, SAID BODY HAVINGUPPER AND LOWER FACES WHICH ARE FLAT AND EXTENDING OVER THE ENTIRE AREADEFINED BY THE SIDE AND END EDGES, THERE BEING A PLURLITY OFTRANSVERSELY-DISPOSED BORES ARRANGED BETWEEN AND PARALLEL TO SAID ENDEDGES AND OPENING OUT OF SAID SIDE EDGES, A RIB EXTENDING ALONG ANDPROJECTING FROM EACH END EDGE, A GRID EMBEDDED IN SAID BODY ANDEXTENDING BENEATH AND ALONG AND ABOUT SAID FACES AND